


The Moment to Live (and the Moment to Die)

by HelloFinnland



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Apocalypse, Eventual Smut, Luke is a badass, M/M, Zombie AU, ashton centric, smut in later chapters, they're all kind of badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-04 02:03:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1762463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelloFinnland/pseuds/HelloFinnland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton sits on the roof with his legs dangling off the edge and his arms braced behind him, the handle of his baseball bat a few inches from his fingers. Everyone is sleeping and he's up here, one side of his glasses cracked and his shirt coated and spattered in someone else's blood and really none of this should have happened but he's watching the sun rise and all he can think is that he's happy the sun does it everyday. He likes the predictability.</p><p>or Ashton is in the epicenter of a zombie apocalypse, trapped with a group of people he barely knows, trying to find his family and friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Moment to Live (and the Moment to Die)

**Author's Note:**

> Not my first time writing but my first time posting online. All of this is purely fictional, none of them are zombie killing badasses. I really wanted to write something like this for awhile and I thought now would be the perfect time

i

Ashton hasn't left his house for the past week, well he hadn't really left his bedroom in the last week other than to use the bathroom. The only light he's seen is the artificial kind coming from his laptop, a thick red blanket tacked with a million little fasteners keeping it up and over his window blocking the sun from peeking through. His mini fridge isn't in the corner but pulled up close to the edge of his bed cans of Mountain Dew and water bottles inside and bags of crisps and Malteasers on top.

His friend, Michael, told him about this online game ('It's an MMORPG Irwin') League of Legends and he thought to set up an account after school Friday considering it had been his last day. Really when he saw the screen and the flashy background he thought it would be stupid, because most things Michael likes usually are, but he hasn't been able to stop playing hell bent on leveling up his character (Diana) into a full fledged badass.

It's not until Ashton is blindly reaching into his mini fridge for something to drink when he realizes its empty. There's no drinks and no food left. He sighs, this was going to happen sooner or later. Moving his laptop to the mattress instead of on his thighs he stands and wow his legs were really warm with the way his computer was a personal heating pad and now he feels kind of cold.

Out of everything he's surprised no one's come over and pounded on his door or used the key he hid under the cliché welcome matt and demand that he get some fresh air and light that isn't synthetic. Michael he knows wouldn't have come after their last texting session.

_To Mikey:_   
_I downloaded that game._

_From Mikey:_   
_LoL?_

_To Mikey:_   
_Yeah I'm goin' to try it out_

_From Mikey:_   
_K, see you at the end of summer_

Calum, he's more of an outdoor, sports type of person would have come considering Ashton shut off his phone and set up his own personal cave to simulate the ultimate gaming experience. Neither of his parents or siblings have come knocking on his door asking if he's alright and no officers have shown up to see if he's lying face down in a pool of his own blood or dead in his bedroom upstairs (he's gone days without talking to anyone before and the last time two men in uniforms showed up telling him his mum wanted to make sure that neither of those things had happened to him). He's just a bit of a hermit he supposes, unless Michael or Calum have some fantastic idea to drag him out of his sanctuary and into the real world where he has to deal with real people and he can't kill them if they're being annoying.

Either way no one's come knocking on the door to his flat, there have been no sirens, and no missing person bulletin so he guesses they've all gotten used to his disappearing act. It's not like he loves being alone or shut away he just prefers it, no one is there to bug him and it gives him time to collect his thoughts while he's sitting in front of his television stealing cars and running over prostitutes (in Grand Theft Auto of course). Video games are kind of an obsession of his in a way and he knows one day they'll save him and he's determined to prove his parents wrong when they say they're a waste of time and hard earned money.

Ashton can waste his money on whatever he wants.

Although maybe he should have saved some instead of buying Diablo 3 and Left for Dead 2 the other day because now as he's rummaging through his full sized fridge and pantry there's nothing but pasta noodles, some vegemite, an empty carton of milk he forgot to toss out, and something rotting away if the smell is anything to go by.

Shit. He looks over to shoulder to the staircase where he knows his room is, where he knows his laptop is waiting, where he knows the game is open and Diana is ready to upgrade to Summoner. His stomach grumbles and Ashton groans because he can't starve. If he starves he can't reach level 30 and right now that's not an option.

Michael is only a level 15 and he's been signed up for three months although he hasn't been in online in the last week to complete challenges and missions alongside Ashton so he's alone to face other players and computer generated monsters on his own and lord knows Calum has no fucking clue how to use a computer let alone access the internet. So he feels kind of proud and he kind of wants to stay and reach level fucking 30 but he's also really fucking hungry he hasn't had a proper meal in awhile.

There's a sandwich shop a few blocks away, good sub sandwiches with all kinds of meat and a greasy side od fries, all of which sound delicious and mouth watering. He'll only be gone twenty minutes, ten if he runs through every red light without getting pulled over.

Food wins out at this point and Ashton goes upstairs to get dressed in something decent enough for public, slipping on his shoes and retrieving his keys, only to remember they're no longer hanging up. His car is at the shop because of his faulty break system. It's not like he minded that it's a little dangerous but his parents do even if he is out of the house and no longer living with them. And where the fuck is his phone anyways?

It's off so it's not like he'll hear it and it's not like he has any way to call it, he'll just have to find it once he comes back and reaches level 30. He's really determined to reach level 30 then play Left for Dead 2 afterwards, he'd really like to kill a few zombies he hasn't gotten to do it in awhile (a few weeks as a matter of fact).

He grabs his house key, at least he hasn't lost that, and locks the front door behind him slipping it into his front pocket along with his wallet.

ii

It's eerily quiet.

There aren't any cars driving along the streets, no sound of traffic or rush hour, no dogs parking and none walking on leashes with their owners. No sounds of children playing and the small neighbor kids aren't playing in the yard and asking Ashton if he'd like to join. It's quiet, dead and Ashton wonders if there was a city wide evacuation or if everyone thought it'd be funny to play a prank on him to make him think that they were all abducted. It's the late afternoon there's no way people wouldn't be outside, his flat is on the corner of a busy street but as he ventures away from his porch he sees cars, trash, belongings but no people.

"Weird." He doesn't think much of it, just crosses the street and heads towards the sub shop his hands in his jean pockets. Whatever odd feeling he got leaving his house vanishes because he can see the sign and it's lit up even though it's midday and really food and League are the only things on his mind right now.

The sign on the glass is flipped to open but there doesn't look like anyone is inside and when Ashton tries to swing the door open it doesn't budge. What the fuck? He looks down at the handle watching himself yank on it and it's still locked, refusing to open for him.

Ashton is really beginning to suspect something happened because the door should have fucking opened and where the fuck is everyone? He just wants a sandwich and to go home that shouldn't be a lot to fucking ask for. Turning around though he sees someone staggering down at the end of the street and finally Ashton was beginning to think he went through some time matrix and ended up in the Twilight Zone but there someone is in what he thinks is a business suit.

"Hello? Excuse me sir!" He waves his hand in the air and calls out sighing gratefully when the man looks in his direction. At least someone noticed him and maybe give him some fucking answers around here. The man starts running and okay he didn't think the guy would go as far as to run but he appreciates it. Maybe he's as disoriented and out of the loop as he is. He really fucking wishes he had kept his phone on, Michael or Calum would have let him in on whatever happened unless this really is an elaborate hoax the entire city is in on. He doubts it though, he's really beginning to think something major happened. A chill runs up his spine because what if it's something horrible? Something horrible and no one could reach him and warn him or call for help if they seriously needed it.

The man gets closer and the closer he gets the more worried Ashton is. The man isn't running towards him, he's running at him and holy shit he has no time to react before a pair of skeletal hands curl into the collar of his shirt and yanking him forward.

It's not a man it's something entirely different. It's skin is a gray-blue leathery mask, eyes rolled far back and half it's jaw has been torn away and hanging by a few tendons, tongue lolling out and teeth sharp and coated in blood and what the fuck it's trying to take a bite out of his face.

Ashton tries shoving at his chest without tripping over his own feet or letting it take a chunk out of his face like it's desperately trying to do. He shoves, pushing against the lapels of it's worn and torn tailored jacket, it's shoulders, anything to get the thing away from him before he becomes some kind of human happy meal.

It's not working though and the thing is fucking persistent in trying to eat his fucking face, rancid breath fogging up his glasses and he's not going to be able to keep struggling, calling out for some kind of fucking help if anyone can hear him that is. Some fucking cannibal lunatic is trying to eat him like he's the fucking sandwich. "Dude get the fuck off! Someone help I'm going to be eaten!"

He's played a lot of video games, enough to get creative at least and he remembers his house key. He's quick to take it out, thrusting forward and shoving it deep into it's eye socket. He gags watching blood gush out, he's good with computer generated blood but no blood in person, he hates the look and smell of it and right now he kind of wants to vomit if he wasn't so terrified. Vaguely in the back of his mind he wonders if Michael or Calum had to deal with this, or if he's going to show up to their house later and say 'yeah so I stuck some mental patient in the eye earlier what have you guys done today?'

He takes a step back, satisfied, only it looks at him with one good pale iris and charges again. Ashton has his hands up waiting for the inevitable, thinking about what he's accomplished and sad that he'll never make it to level 30 when there's a bang loud enough that it's ringing in his ears and rattling his brain it feels like. He cringes at the sound of a body hitting the floor only to reveal another one. A boy, holding a pistol glaring at Ashton and looking to where Ashton can see more people only they're running to.

"Come with me if you want to live." Ashton kind of wants to ask this kid if he's serious and if he really just fucking quoted Terminator but something tells him those people aren't coming to see if he's okay and at this point he has no options. He yanks his key out not worrying about the blood coating and dripping from it sprinting after the young kid that just saved his ass.

iii

When they finally stop they're in a rundown, shitty warehouse, that smells worse than it looks, very poorly lit and Ashton's standing at the bottom of a staircase waiting for some fucking answers. Like why the hell did this guy just kill someone? Granted the dude from before was trying to bite a chunk of Ashton and most likely murder and eat him and Ashton did stab him with a key, who does this kid think he is?

"Okay! Okay hold on."

The kid stops mid step, sliding his revolver into a holster strapped around his thigh and how cliché is that and who just conveniently carries a weapon around so open and freely? This isn't a video game, this kind of shit doesn't happen and Ashton's wondering if he's in a nightmare. Although he knows he's not because the blood he saw back there is entirely to real even for his fucked up imagination to dream up.

"You just murdered someone and I'm following you? How do I know you won't blow my brains out?"

"Have you been bitten?"

"What?"

The kid reaches for his gun and repeats his question, keeping his eyes trained on him. Ashton, considering he doesn't have a gun just holds his hands out.

"No Jesus I wasn't bitten. What the fuck is going on though?"

"You really don't know?"

"Would I be asking you if I did?" He sighs, curling his fingers then dropping his hand away from the butt of the pistol trudging his way up the rest of the stairs. Ashton follows after him and the upper level is a lot nicer than the downstairs area is, that's not t say it's great looking. There's a tiny television with horrible signal, two sofas, a few mattresses with blankets, a coffee table and a few video game consoles. And about a hundred scented candles to mask the odor underneath.

Ashton feels like he just stepped into a hideout the Mafia uses and if this kid wasn't so skinny and young looking Ashton would think he's a member or at least affiliated with the mob. He doesn't have the fedora and cigar to pull it off though so he doesn't ask.

"Those things out there? Everyone you knew. Your friends, family, classmates, teachers, neighbors, they're all dead and now they're those things walking around."

"Oh." And that's all Ashton can think to say, it's the first thing to come out of his mouth. Right now League is the furthest thing from his mind.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate everyone reading :) -Finn


End file.
